Race Day Evening!

What a day! Being a Race Nut, a Basketball nut and a weather nut... today had a little bit of everything for me. The Indy 500, Pacers-Pistons Game 5 and Indiana weather in May.

Today started off watching the radar and the skies as Dad and I headed to the track at 7:30am. Following my uncle's 30 year tried and true route to the Coke lot, we made it in 42 minutes without sitting in traffic once.

It was still cloudy as we walked to the track, where we proceeded to walk to the infield so that we could... walk along pit lane... across the yard of bricks... get a picture of the Borg Warner trophy... walk across gasoline alley while they brought out Robbie McGee and Robby Gordon's cars... walked past the hospitality tents where we saw Buddy Rice, Bobby Rahal, and Kenny Brack talking to their clients... past the row of motorhomes where the drivers spend their time away from the track... past the garages where Tom Carnegie was preparing for an interview with Sarah Fisher... then another heavy rain hit. Fortunately we were only 100 yards from the stands under the Hulman Suites where we ended up camping out for an hour while it rained pretty hard.

Once the rains stopped and it started to clear, we headed out to the NW Vista where we hunkered down in our seats and watched the jet dryers dry the track. Yes the Speedway does have 6 dryers that utilize retired Rolls Royce jet engines to dry the track. While delayed about 2 hours due to that last rain, the Speedway was still able to have their pre-race ceremonies while the track dried. 50+ members of various military branches just returned from Iraq took a parade around the Speedway on the back of Corvette convertibles to a constant roaring of U-S-A! The various celebrities took their turn around next... Morgan Freeman, Lavar Burton, Judge Reinholt, Wynona and Naomi Judd, Rupert from Survivor, Jesse Palmer from the Bachelor, James Garner, members of Godsmack, and many others. Mrs. Brady, Florence Henderson performed God Bless America while 3 Apache Helicopters flew down the frontstretch. The Purdue band played on the "Banks of the Wabash" Jessica Simpson performed the Star Spangled Banner. 4 F-16 fighters flew down the frontstretch. Father Beuchlien gave the convocation. The Purdue band played Taps. Jim Neighbors sang Back Home Again in Indiana and Mary Hulman George gave the command Lady and Gentleman Start your Engines. It was 2 and half hours late... but better late than never.

Morgan Freeman drove the 2004 Corvette Pace Car that led the 33 drivers through the Photo, Parade and Pace laps and to the green flag. While the drivers did a messy job of aligning themselves in rows of 3... thank you Dario... the drivers went 5 wide down the front stretch before safely funneling through turn 1.

There was some great side by side racing even through the turns, a wall slapper from AJ IV, a couple passes for the lead before the rain red flagged the race at lap 26. Listening to the scanner, there was a severe thunderstorm approaching the Speedway so Dad and I hiked back the half mile to the Coke lot to wait it out in the truck. We just got their as the heavens opened up. After an hour of waiting and hearing that the storms were to the South, we headed back to the track and made it to our seats just as they were refiring the engines at 3:35pm.

The next 2 hours provided some of the best on track product at the 500 in years. Every restart led to a gaggle of cars going 4 and 5 wide down the front and back stretches. At one point Tomas Scheckter passed 5 cars on the high side of 3 and 4 and went from 11th to 6th. Unfortunately the Hondas he passed had way too much for his Chevy and over long runs, they would reel him back in. While Buddy Rice had the fastest car on the track, a stalled pit stop pushed him back in the field and while he was working his way back to the front, numerous passes for the lead occurred between Dan Wheldon and Tony Kanaan.

With Rain around the Speedway from 5pm to 6pm, everyone was racing for the front not knowing when the skies would open up and end the day. It made for a fantastic 2 hour shootout with Buddy Rice and the fastest car out front when the rain finally did end the day on lap 180 (450 miles) and the checkered flag flew for Team Rahal/Letterman.

Congratulations to Buddy Rice... a well earned swig of Milk!

Hearing on the scanner that a funnel cloud was spotted in Clermont 10 miles west of the Speedway, Dad and I booked it back to the truck and out of the Coke lot just as reports of tornados all over the south side of Indy started coming in.

I'm writing this as I'm flipping back and forth between the Pacers game and the local weather where they have tracked these tornados all across the state. My thoughts go out to all those that lost homes and businesses tonight. A sad ending to a great day!

Can't wait for 11 more months to pass and another month of May to arrive!